Susi Hyldgaard Unterfahrt 2011-10-08-001

Susi Hyldgaard (17 June 1963 — 21 January 2023) was a Danish jazz singer and composer. Although she studied music in Boston and Copenhagen, she first worked as a reporter for

Danmarks Radio DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...

. It was only in 1996 that she turned to singing with her album ''My Female Family''. She went on to perform a blend of rock, pop and funk, later concentrating mainly on jazz. Hyldgaard became well known for her performances in Germany, Canada and the United States. For six years, she headed the Danish jazz composers union DJBFA (Danske Jazz, Beat og Folkemusik Autorer) until she became ill in 2019.

Early life and education

Born on 17 June 1963 in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Susi Hyldgaard was the daughter of a double bass player who performed in various bands and a mother who was more interested in classical music. She moved to Denmark with her family and from the age of five was trained as a classical pianist. After graduating from Holte Gymnasium in 1984, she returned to the United States where she studied piano under Lars Brogaard at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. While continuing to study music at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

, she associated with the female singing group Go Four where she developed her flair for jazz.

Career

From 1985 to 1990, Hyldgaard worked as a journalist for Danmarks Radio. It was not until 1996 that she released her first album ''My Female Family'', followed by ''Something Special Just For You'' for which in 2000 she received a Danish Grammy as Best Jazz Newcomer. In the early 2000s, she collaborated with the double-bassist

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (; 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist. Biography Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son o ...

, the trombonist Nils Landgren and the guitarist Dalia Faitelson. Moving increasingly into jazz, she was recognized for albums including ''Blush'' (2006), ''Magic Words'' (2007) and ''It's Love We Need'' (2009). In addition to Germany where she released four albums on the Enja label, she also performed in Canada and the United States. Together with the writer Dorte Schou, in 2015 she published the humorous ''Lorteklubben – når man skal, så skal man!'' (Poop Club - When You Have To Go, You Have To Go), introducing small children to the importance of going to the toilet. Hyldgaard was also an effective union organizer and chaired the composers union DJBFA for six years until she retired for poor health in 2019. Susi Hyldgaard died on 21 January 2023, aged 59, after suffering from a

brain tumor A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...

. After first marrying the jazz composer Halfdan E. Nielsen, with whom she had her first daughter, she was later married to the wine expert Anders Scheuer. She left two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyldgaard, Susi 1963 births 2023 deaths Musicians from New York City Danish jazz pianists Danish jazz composers Danish jazz singers Danish women jazz pianists Danish women jazz composers Danish women jazz singers Berklee College of Music alumni University of Copenhagen alumni